State highway workers were quick to respond

Don Estep is Publisher Emeritus of The News Journal.

A salute to the men who work for the Kentucky Department of Highways. Monday, during a massive thunderstorm, they arrived just minutes after a tree fell on the road near the 770 bridge that leads to Cracker Barrel restaurant in north Corbin.

My daughter Amber, who was heading back home in west Kentucky with her three children, was following me to the I-75 interchange on Highway 312 when the vicious storm started.

The rain was coming down in sheets which made it barely possible to see the road. Before we came to the 312 bridge we started looking for a place to pull off the road. Other vehicles had already taken the possible places and we moved on at a very low speed until we found a place on 770.

That is when I saw two state trucks heading toward the fallen tree. The workers, with rain falling hard and lighting striking all around, began directing traffic and moving the tree.

That was quick work by these men that may have prevented an accident. A big salute to them for responding under difficult circumstances!

As for my daughter and her children, they returned to our home and decided to stay until the storm system is finally gone. I get the joy of being with our daughter and grandchildren a few days longer.

•A little over 22 years ago I interviewed Trent Knuckles and persuaded him to take a job at this newspaper. A few years ago he replaced me as publisher of this newspaper.

He continue to amaze me with his enthusiasm, not only for this newspaper, but also for his civic endeavors like “Keep Corbin Clean.”

Last year he got the move started and this year he and others, led by Suzie Razmus, have done an outstanding job of ridding the city of litter.

Let’s hope their efforts will win the “Beautify the Bluegrass” award, an initiative by Gov. Bevins to make our state a cleaner and more attractive place to live and visit.